


Never Have I Ever Survived an Interrogation

by crystalkei



Series: Never Have I Ever Actually Fallen In Love [8]
Category: Never Have I Ever (TV)
Genre: F/M, Secret Relationship, awkward meals with the family, discussion of dead dad, well secret from Nalini
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24778897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalkei/pseuds/crystalkei
Summary: Paxton convinced Devi to try swimming to get over her fear and how was he repaid for that good deed? An awkward family lunch with Devi's family.
Relationships: Paxton Hall-Yoshida/Devi Vishwakumar
Series: Never Have I Ever Actually Fallen In Love [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761826
Comments: 23
Kudos: 86





	Never Have I Ever Survived an Interrogation

**Author's Note:**

> Does any of this have a reasonable structure anymore? IDK!!!!! I'm just going with it! I hope you will too!

John McEnroe here again, can you believe Paxton convinced Devi to go swimming? That was just yesterday! Seems like forever ago because Devi laid in her bed all night, staring at the ceiling, dread filling her whole body. She did not sleep well last night. But as soon as she heard her mom’s car start, she got out of bed to get ready. 

Paxton picked her up at 9AM sharp and off they went to the city pool to swim before it opened, before the kids’ swim class Paxton had to teach at 11. 

“You wanna back out? It’s fine if you want to back out, I’ll just swing us through Starbucks and then we can go over flashcards.” He looked over at her with an easy smile. 

Devi did want to back out but she didn’t want him to know that. He was being so considerate, trying to help her get over this fear. Plus, she knew that the pool and swimming, that was where he felt most comfortable. She could be comfortable there too. Probably. Maybe. 

“Nope,” she said, fidgeting with her swim cover. “I’m so ready to do it. What exactly are we doing?”

“I’m not gonna make you swim laps or anything.” 

“Sure, but like, what are we doing?” Devi pushed some hair behind her ear and looked out the window. 

“I just thought we’d hop in the shallow end, hang out, just get you used to it again. You did fine before putting your legs in, so this is like baby steps.” 

She turned and looked at him as he parked the Jeep. “Is that your teaching kids to swim voice?”

Paxton hesitated. “No.” 

“Dude, not cool. I’m not five!” Devi pushed his shoulder, and he laughed. 

The pool wasn’t open yet so Paxton used his keys to unlock the front door and then walked them right behind the counter and out the back door to the pool instead of going through the locker rooms. He tossed his bag on a chair and jogged to the other side of the pool, knelt down, and checked the skimmer. 

Devi put her bag next to his, but she pulled out her towel, some spray sunscreen, a comb, a hair tie, a book, and-

“Did you bring the kitchen sink?” Paxton teased, as he made his way back over. 

Devi furrowed her brows. “I’m prepared.” 

  
She pulled her hair up into a bun on top of her head, securing it with the hair tie before pulling her swim cover off. She sprayed herself down with sunscreen, and offered it to Paxton. He took off his shirt and then put his arms out and closed his eyes. 

“Hit me,” he said, and Devi sprayed him with sunscreen. “Nice suit.” 

Devi looked down at her one plain, black one piece. “My mom won’t buy me anything fun.” 

“I wasn’t joking. I think you look cute.” Paxton did that a lot, genuinely complimented her and it always surprised her, even if he’d been doing it for months now. He took her hand and headed towards the stairs of the shallow end. “You go head and just sit on the first step.” 

Paxton let go of her hand, ran towards the deep end of the pool, and then dived in. Barely making a splash. He swam underwater, all the way to the other side of the pool, surfaced for a second, and pushed off the wall, and swam the length of the pool and popped up right by the stairs where he’d left Devi. 

“Showoff,” she said, moving down from the edge of the pool to sit on the top step to get closer to him. 

He waggled his eyebrows and gave her a 100 watt smile. “It’d be embarrassing if I wasn’t good at this, wouldn’t it?”

Devi shook her head and smiled. “What else you gonna show me?”

“You come down one stair and I’ll do a trick.” Paxton stood up, the water only coming to his waist. “It’s not deep. You can totally stand. So if you just wanna come in we can float or race or you can ease into it.” 

“Race?” she laughed. “Not a chance.” 

The sun started to beat down on her and maybe she moved down a step because it was hot but she did it. She moved down a step. Her butt was wet and her legs were almost fully submerged. Her feet comfortably two steps down in the water and the top of her thighs just barely out of the water. 

Paxton wiggled his fingers, took a step closer to her, and put both hands in the water. He made each hand into a fist, half submerged them, and then he started to squeeze. Water squirted out of his fists in tiny sprays. “Ta da!” 

“That’s your trick?” She crinkled her nose up. 

“This is an excellent trick,” he said, aiming so the tiny splashes were pointed at her, but they were so small they couldn’t make it to her. 

“Ugh, this is so stupid. I’m sorry.” Devi shook her whole body like she could shake the fear out of herself. “This is dumb. You don’t need tricks to get me into the pool. I’m not a little kid. I’m just gonna get in the pool. I can do that. I can get in the pool.” 

She closed her eyes and scrunched up her face and didn’t move. Devi opened one eye to see Paxton tilting his head and looking expectantly. She let out a breath, looked up at the sky, and pouted.   
  
“My legs don’t work.” 

Paxton took two steps and was holding her knees legit freaking out. He ran a hand down her calf and pinched. “Are you sure?”

Devi pushed his hands away and kicked up her legs, one at a time. “I meant metaphorically!” 

He clutched his chest in relief and then splashed at her. “That scared me!” 

Her lips pressed together tightly before she broke out into a full, head thrown back laugh. “Jokes about my legs working or not working are only funny if _I_ make them.” 

Paxton tugged on her feet now but her butt didn’t budge from the step she was on. He ended up falling forward and having to catch himself on either side of her. Their noses bumping. 

“Jerk,” he whispered, still close enough to kiss her but he didn’t. He just hovered there. 

“I’m sorry. It’s so stupid! I know! I shouldn’t even be scared of the pool!” 

“Devi, your dad died and your legs stopped working,” his voice was firm but reverent. “None of that is stupid. It’s scary. If those things happened to me, I’d be scared, too.” 

  
Her cheeks flushed and she wasn’t smiling anymore, she closed her eyes. She was back in the pool that day. She could taste the sour chlorine water she sucked in when she tried to scream. 

“I jumped in with everyone. I was fine. My legs carried me into the pool and then I was underwater and they weren’t pushing me up.” 

Paxton moved around her to sit on the stair next to her. He had an arm around her, almost resting on her shoulder, his hand playing in her hair, twisting a strand around his finger. Just listening. 

“Everything awful has happened at school. Why am I not afraid of school? It’s so dumb.” She could feel that lump in her throat and the tears welling up.

“It’s not dumb.”

Devi turned and looked at him, almost angry, her muscles tense. “It is though! My legs stopped working and instead of calmly just pulling myself up, I panicked! I tried to scream as if that’s something you can do underwater so then I couldn’t breathe, I was flailing like a crazy person and barely made it to the surface and everyone laughed! They laughed because look at this dumb bitch who almost drowned in the pool when we’re just supposed to be swimming laps.” 

“Your legs quit working, of course you panicked,” Paxton tried, but she looked away. He moved around to try and get in her line of sight, to make her look at him, but she shook her head, tears starting to slide down her cheeks. 

“My dad dropped dead at the spring concert and then my legs quit working in the pool and my mom thought I was dying too and everything happened at school but it’s the pool that I’m scared of! That’s so fucked up! Bad things happen at school but I won’t get into a swimming pool!” 

Paxton tugged on her shoulder and she leaned into him. He kissed the side of her head as he held her. “Good stuff happens at school, too.”

Devi hiccuped and wiped at her nose. How did he always see her at her lowest points? What if he got tired of her crying all the time? She tried to get her shit together because this was not cute. “Good stuff like what?”

“Fab and Eleanor and you always have fun at lunch,” he said, still talking into her hair, still holding her tightly, running a hand up and down her back to calm her. “And you smash tests so hard. The teachers love you.”

“You have no idea what happens at school, do you?” she asked, a sniffling laugh escaping. 

Paxton laughed too. “I’m doing my best here.” 

She pulled away and wiped her eyes again. “I’m sorry I always end up crying on you.” 

“I’m sorry I tricked you into coming swimming.”  
  
“No, this is good. I think I’m gonna actually talk to my therapist about this,” Devi said. “She’ll be thrilled I want to talk about it.” 

As Devi pulled herself together, Paxton sat with her and still kept a hand on her back, supporting her. Trent rolled in, talking on the phone to someone. He waved at them and then went back to talking. 

“Is he...is he talking to Eleanor on the phone?” Devi said, after overhearing Trent’s call. “What is that about?”

“I don’t know,” Paxton said, brushing it off, heading for the towel on Devi’s chair. He brought it back to her, first offering her his hand to help her up the couple of stairs and then giving her the towel. “Trent’s weird so it’s hard to tell what is and isn’t normal for him.” 

Devi stuck around and read on a lounge chair while Paxton taught the 11AM swim class. This one was preteens and the girls checking him out this time had braces and thank god none of the moms paid him any attention. After the class, Paxton took Devi home. 

“Ugh, Kamala just texted to tell me the toilet is clogged,” Devi told him while they rounded the block. 

“I’ll come in and plunge it,” Paxton offered.

“We can plunge our own toilet,” Devi countered. “Well, actually Kamala and I are currently fighting over who will do it.” 

“I’ll just do it.” Paxton put the Jeep in park in front of the Vishwakumar house. He got out and opened the car door for Devi. 

“No, Kamala is gonna do it.” But just as soon as Devi had said it, Kamala opened the front door. 

“I did it last time, Devi, it’s your turn!” Kamala looked at Paxton and smiled politely, a quick change from her yelling at Devi face. “Oh, hello.”

“Which toilet is it?” he asked Kamala this time, since Devi had already declined his help. 

“It’s the one upstairs but Devi and I can handle this.” 

“Okay.” He shrugged but Devi pulled him into the house. 

“I’m getting some mixed messages here,” he said. 

“We are feminists! We don’t need a man to unclog the toilet!” Kamala said, but looked at Devi and tilted her head. 

“We do not need a man to fix our toilet! Of course not!” Devi said, staring back at Kamala. 

Paxton stood uncomfortably in between the two of them. They both held out a fist for rock, paper, scissors. Paxton sighed.

“I’m going to fix the toilet,” he said, leaning over to pick up his shoes he’d taken off before heading up the stairs. 

Both Kamala and Devi shouted after him, “We’re feminists!” 

“I know, I know,” Paxton threw over his shoulder as he went to fix the toilet. 

“Toilets are just so gross!” Devi whined and Kamala nodded her head in agreement.

“So did you swim?” Kamala asked, interested. 

Devi didn’t want to admit that she barely got in the pool. “Sort of.” 

McEnroe: That’s a fine answer Devi. You did sort of swim! Just like I sort of respect umpires and line judges. Sort of. 

“I’m gonna talk to my therapist about being afraid of swimming.” 

“That’s a good idea!” Kamala offered. 

The door swung open and Nalini came barreling in at full speed. “Who is here, who’s car is that outside, what is happening?”

“Mom!” Devi panicked. Paxton was still upstairs fixing the toilet. She needed to start formulating her excuses now. 

“Auntie, why are you home right now? Is everything okay?”

McEnroe: Kamala coming in clutch again, stalling Nalini like that. She’s so helpful! Devi was really starting to like having Kamala around. 

“My 11:45 canceled so I figured I would come home for lunch, who is here?” Nalini rushed to the living room, looking around to see who was in the house. 

“You guys need a different plunger,” Paxton shouted as he came down the stairs. “My mom got this really good one at Home Depot but I’ll send you an Amazon link, it’s like a honeycomb shape or something…”

Paxton froze, just two steps from the bottom. Nalini looked at Devi and back at Paxton, her frown growing deeper with every second. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I unclogged the toilet.” Best to keep it short because Paxton had said too much to Nalini before and it did not go well for him. 

Nalini turned back to Kamala and Devi, glaring. “We can unclog our own toilet! We don’t need some boy to do it!” 

“We know, Auntie, but-” 

“But we just call people over to unclog toilets now? Is Paxton Hall-Yoshida a licensed and bonded professional plumber now?” 

“Nope, still in high school,” Paxton said, still not moving from the stairs. 

“Mom, he was dropping me off and Kamala and I were fighting over who was going to plunge the toilet and he offered to do it, and it’s so gross! Mom, it’s no big deal, don’t make a big deal out of it!” 

McEnroe: Devi took a real risk raising her voice to her mother like that. Especially the way Nalini was fuming. Devi held her breath and waited for her mom to fight back. 

Nalini looked back at Paxton, her face hard, no one said anything for a few seconds. To Devi, it felt like a thousand years. 

“Okay,” Nalini finally said. 

“Huh?” Devi asked, confused. 

“You didn’t have your shoes on up there, did you?” she asked Paxton. 

He shook his head and revealed that he was holding his slides behind him the whole time.

“I took them off when I came in but took them with me since I didn’t know the state of the bathroom and worried it had overflowed.” 

“Good boy.” 

McEnroe: What? What did she just say? Did I hear that right? Devi, Paxton, and Kamala looked at Nalini confused. 

“Thank you for fixing the toilet. You should stay for lunch, it would be rude of us not to at least feed you for doing the dirty chore.” Nalini walked into the kitchen as if it was settled. 

  
Paxton came down to meet Devi and leaned in closer to her. “This feels like a trap.” 

“This has got to be a trap, what is wrong with her?” Devi looked to Kamala but she shook her head just as confused. 

“We’re having leftover curry, it was spicy last night so I’m sure today it will be even spicier. Have you ever had curry, Paxton?”

“I eat it pretty regularly, Dr. Vishwakumar,” he managed to get out, trying his best to be calm despite feeling cornered. 

Devi took his shoes and tossed them by the door and tilted her head for him to follow her into the dining room. 

“You do?” Nalini asked, perfectly polite. 

“I’m part Japanese, so it’s not exactly the same kind, but yes, I like Indian curry, too.”   
  
Kamala looked over at Paxton and gave him a thumbs up and an encouraging smile. Devi was still panicked and agreed with Paxton. This felt definitely like a trap. 

Devi met her mom in the kitchen where Nalini gave her a plate of reheated curry with rice, she handed one to Paxton who took it and then just kinda looked lost. Devi sat in her spot at the table and tugged on Paxton’s shirt to get him to sit down too. 

“Should I sit next to you?” Paxton whispered. “Is she gonna notice?”

“Just sit down,” Devi said, barely moving her mouth, before Nalini took her place at the head of the table. 

Paxton sat next to Devi. Everyone started eating except for Paxton who still looked lost. Devi elbowed him. “Eat.” 

He picked up his fork and started eating. 

“Devi, why was Paxton giving you a ride home? I didn’t even know you were going out this morning.” Nalini looked squarely at Devi. 

McEnroe: Devi could handle this. She’d been coming up with a plan since her mom walked in. Everything was fine as long as Paxton followed her lead. Their secret relationship would not be blown.

“We’ve all been studying for the SATs. Eleanor, Fab, Oliver, Eve, Paxton, even Trent is getting in on it,” Devi explained, easily. 

Paxton’s leg started to bounce under the table but he nodded along to Devi’s story. 

“Aren’t you a little late taking your SATs, Paxton?” 

Devi tried to come up with something but despite Paxton’s obvious nerves, he answered without hesitation. 

“My sister had some health issues at the beginning of this school year so I was tied up helping with that and didn’t really have extra time to study or schedule a time to sit the test.” He lied so well, Devi was impressed. 

“And why didn’t Eleanor bring you home?” Nalini turned back to Devi, but Paxton cut in.

“She had a dentist appointment so I had to play Uber driver.” 

“I’m sorry, that was rude, I should have asked how your sister is now, is she well?” Nalini shifted back to Paxton.

It felt like she was methodically trying to trip them up with this interrogation. 

“She’s fine. Devi helped her with her fashion school portfolio a while ago and she should hear back about that any day now.” 

McEnroe: Paxton smiled before taking another bite of curry. It was spicy but he hadn’t broken a sweat. He really lights up when talking about his sister. That’s adorable. 

“Devi helped?” Nalini’s eyebrows went up. “I didn’t know you were out there doing good deeds for strangers!”

Devi knew that was not a compliment. 

“It was the least I could do for her, her friends bailed and Paxton called me.” 

“Because you’re good friends.” Nalini was not asking a question. 

She was trying to catch them. Devi put her fork down and wiped her mouth slowly. 

“Yes, we're friends. I’m still allowed to have those, right?” 

Paxton put his hand on her knee under the table, like he was trying to hold her back from starting a fight with her mother. 

“Of course.” 

“Does anyone want water?” Kamala jumped up, trying to break the tension. 

“Yes please, Kamala,” Devi said, without breaking eye contact with her mother. 

“So Paxton, what are your plans for this summer? Just the studying with Devi?” Nalini asked, again in that polite forced tone. 

“I’m working at the city pool, too, as a lifeguard.”

“And he teaches little kids how to swim,” Devi cut in. “I can’t even stand babysitting but he’s teaching kids a legit survival skill.” 

“How nice.” Again, it didn’t sound like a compliment. “And then back to school in the fall?”

“Uh actually we have our annual family vacation to Japan, end of next month, before school starts,” Paxton explained. 

Devi’s head whipped around so fast, he had to pull back to avoid her hair in his face. “Your what?”

“Yeah we go every summer for two weeks.” He didn’t look at Nalini this time and Devi would have worried about how her mother was watching them but she was too surprised. She didn’t know he was leaving for two weeks. “this year we’re going to Tokyo Disneyland too. I’m hyped.”

“You’re leaving for two weeks? Why didn’t you say anything?” 

“Why would he say something, Devi?” Nalini interjected but Devi still kept her attention on Paxton. 

“We go every year, we go for so long because jet lag is awful going that way. Actually it’s worse coming back but…” he trailed off, looking back at Nalini and Kamala. 

He nudged Devi’s thigh with his knee and she finally snapped back to the pressing issue. 

“I just…” Devi stuttered for a moment. “It’s just close to the SATs and we’ll be studying in overdrive but that’s fine. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. 

“Well.” Nalini’s phone started buzzing and she looked at the messages, sternly. “My 11:45 did show up just very late so I’ve got to go back.”

“Thank you for lunch, Dr. Vishwakumar.” Paxton stood up as Nalini did and Devi side eyed him. 

“Right, right, thank you for fixing the toilet but we won’t need your help again,” she said, brushing him off as she headed for the door. “Devi make sure you finish those loads of laundry I asked you to do.”

“Yes, mom.” 

And then she was gone. 

Paxton scrubbed his face with his hand, exhausted from the mental exercise lunch had been. 

“You’re leaving for two weeks?” Devi asked, annoyed. 

Kamala stood up, taking her plate to the kitchen. Clearly not wanting to be part of whatever this conversation was.

“Are you mad?” Paxton asked, confused and a little irritated. “I just gracefully lied my way through lunch with your mom and you almost blew the whole thing because I’m going to Japan for two weeks.”

Devi scrunched up her face. “I almost did that huh? Fuck, that was bad. Do you think she bought it?”

“You tell me, because I have no idea.” Paxton sat down and took another bite of the curry. “Is there more of this?”

“Yes, there’s more curry!” Kamala shouted from the kitchen. She brought in the Tupperware and put it next to Paxton on the table. “And if my opinion counts for anything, I think she bought it.”

“We’d be dead if she didn’t, right?” Devi asked Kamala. 

“Hmmm, I think yes. So see? It’s fine. It was a close call but it’s fine.” 

Devi was back to thinking about Paxton leaving for two weeks. They had only been dating a little over a month but she’d gotten used to at least talking to him every day. And since summer had started, they’d all been hanging out almost every day. 

“Two weeks isn’t even that long. That’s like 14 days,” she said aloud, without realizing.

“Uh yeah, it’s not,” Paxton said, putting his fork down on his now empty plate. He gave her a sly smile. “You gonna miss me?”

“No.” She spit it out before she thought about it and Paxton’s face fell a little. 

“Oh.” 

Devi covered her mouth with her hand. “I was just trying to be cool. I’m totally gonna miss you.”

Paxton’s eyes lit up. “I’ll still text you every day.”

“You don’t have to do that, you’re gonna be having so much fun,” she said, again trying to play it cool. “You’re gonna be climbing Mt. Fuji Yama and going to cat cafes.”

“It’s Mt. Fuji or Fuji Yama. And no, we did that once and I don’t need to do it again. It’s like...a huge mountain.” 

“Pretty sure it’s Mt. Fuji Yama.,” Devi said, confidently. 

“Yama means mountain. You just said Mt. Fuji mountain,” Paxton explained. 

“Oh my god, I get it! It’s chai tea!” Devi nodded, excited. 

“What?”

“Chai means tea but people always call it Chai tea like you just said tea tea, bro.”

Paxton smiled, relieved she got it. “Yes! It’s like that!” 

“Can you bring me back weird flavored KitKats? I heard that’s a thing.”

“Only the finest royal milk tea and apple pie flavored KitKats for my girl,” he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. 

“You two are so cute!” Kamala said from the kitchen. “But knock it off! I will be in so much trouble if your mom walks back in that door, Devi.” 

“Whatever Kamala, she’s gone. It’s fine.” Devi rolled her eyes. “Hey, Tokyo Disneyland? You have to bring me back a Duffy bear. No! You have to get the Duffy bear and take pictures at all the cute picture spots for Duffy!” 

“I’ll bring a whole extra bag for _your_ souvenirs.” 

“Thank you.” She put her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes seriously. “This is important. Duffy bear photo ops. I need like 10 of them. I need constant Snapchat updates.” 

“Devi.” Paxton reached out and held her face, mirroring her serious face. “My cousins are going to roast me for this but you’re right. Nothing is more important.” 

McEnroe: Devi bust out one of those wide smiles and even felt little butterflies in her stomach. Paxton liked her so much and holy crap, she liked him so much. This was literally life changing. Was she in love with Paxton? Like actual grown up, be with a person forever, stand at an altar and swear to have and to hold, L-O-V-E, love with Paxton Hall-Yoshida? 

Devi had the emotional intelligence and maturity to NOT say that aloud. That’d be nuts, right? Just absolutely bonkers! So in this one thing, Devi controlled herself. She’d need to examine those weird euphoric feelings later. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please google Duffy Bear photo spots at Disney Sea to really understand the joy of Duffy. <33333


End file.
